It is well known that people currently spend a great deal of time in stationary positions, such as being seated during work hours, while traveling to and from work, while eating, while enjoying television and while socializing indoors. Modern medicine is informing such persons that extended stationary positions may give rise to moderate to severe health concerns. For example, such seated office workers may gain excess weight, be subject to back problems due to comfortable rather than upright seating postures, and generally experience a decline in muscle tone. Many efforts have been undertaken to increase activity levels of such persons, including for example intervals for exercise of skeletal muscles, using stairs instead of elevators, using treadmill desks enabling very slow walking while working, and using active chairs.
“Active chairs” are a category of chairs that facilitates differing postures and limited movement of legs of persons using such chairs. Many can be seen in in a standard internet “GOOGLE SEARCH” of the phrase “active chairs” and then selecting the “images” uncovered in the search. A well-known example of an active chair is available under the product name “AERIS MUVMAN” from the AERIS Company of Germany, at http://www.aeris.de/en/muvman/. The Aeris Muvman includes a small seat supported on top of a post extending from a circular base that is wider than the seat. Another active chair is available from the same AERIS Company, and is entitled “Aeris Swopper” which has an adjustable length post sticking out of a partial circular base with a cushioned, spring-loaded seat, wherein the vertical post enables limited tilting. It is also available at http://www.swopper.com/. Yet another modern active seat is available under the product name “Focal Mogo”, that is available from the FOCAL Company at http://www.focaluprightfurniture.com/. The Focal Mogo is simply a hard, small seat dimensioned to support only a user's buttocks, and the seat is attached to an eighteen-inch post that has semi-spherical rubber or plastic form that is secured to a lower end of the post is as wide as the post to minimize any sliding of the post during use.
While these and other known active chairs provide limited opportunity for movement by a user, most are focused upon use by office workers wherein there is typically a substantial amount of space for leaving the active chairs within the office. Further, such office active chairs invariably are designed to be in a style in harmony with brightly lit office spaces having file cabinets, untold numbers of pulsing computers and related office machinery frequently located in broken up office cubicles having an overall “industrial” appearance. In other words, none are designed to blend in with a comfortable and efficient home environment.
Moreover, it is increasingly popular, pleasing and economically beneficial to minimize “clutter” and excessive furniture in many modern residences. Indeed, both rural and urban living quarters are experiencing the many benefits of the popular “TINY HOUSE” movement, as discussed on the internet at many locations, such as at: http://tinyhouseblog.com/. None of the known active chairs are designed to comfortably fit within such intimate and carefully planned living environments. Consequently, there is a need for an active chair that provides significant health benefits to a user, that can be collapsed into an efficient and attractive storage configuration, that provides design harmony with the environment of its use, that can be easily opened up from storage for use indoors, and that can be carried by the user to an outdoor activity.